Colin Farrell: I though fighting paps would be fun

The Irish star said he thought he would get a kick out of beating up photographers for a scene in his new flick “London Boulevard”, but he was disappointed.

“In reading that, I thought I would have more fun - that more of a sense of weak, diluted, personal justice would be felt," he explained to the BBC. "I've had my run-ins with the good boys with the cameras over the years, so it made me laugh.

In his latest movie, Farrell plays a character called Mitchell who newly released from prison, falls in love with a young reclusive movie star played by Keira Knightley.

"I know I enjoyed the concept of somebody getting physical retribution in that way. But in doing it, it just became another scene. I was invested enough in Mitch that I didn't have my own personal relationship to it anymore."

In preparation for his role the star mixed with people he wouldn’t usually meet in order to garner a good understanding of his character.

I've met many people through the years who have a plethora of experiences that I could draw from," he told the BBC. "For this film I spent a little time with a couple of lads in London who had their beefs with the law back in the day. The one thing I saw was the level of brotherhood in this criminal world. There's a great sense of unity and community - a real sense of location and belonging."